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Old 10-09-2021, 10:58 AM
PeterMusic PeterMusic is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by metaphacts View Post
Sitting at my desk in Provo, I am looking across my office at an MC275. Beautiful amplifier but not at all appropriate for Sabrinas in terms of power/dynamic swings. It runs out of gas early on - the impedance load of Sabrina is not its friend.

Not sure to which TAS review you refer, Sabrina or SabrinaX. We can look at what the reviewers wrote and anyone interested can easily find the full text of the reviews by going to the TAS site.

What Neil Gader said about Sabrina was "..While full-range extension to 20Hz slips from its grasp, the Sabrina still manages a respectable and vigorous low-to-mid-30Hz range (in-room), which if you haven’t experienced it lately is more than satisfying."

While Matthew Clott goes to great length to describe the actual design choices, he also describes the bottom line this way "..What I mean by this is that someone purchasing an Yvette (Wilson’s next-up model) will be getting a full-range, 20Hz-to-25kHz transducer. Aesthetic considerations aside, with the immense adjustability that Wilson speakers offer, a room that can handle an Yvette can also handle an XVX; your speaker choice is based on budget and aesthetics. But the SabrinaX is purposely designed and built with limitations. It is smaller than the Yvette and extends down to “only” 31Hz."

So that "limitation" frequency is below a kick drum and below a 4 string bass. It's right about the limit of a 5 string or 6 string bass. Based on the number of rock and roll aficionados who choose Sabrina or SabrinaX and power them accordingly, I would suggest that their experiences are different from yours and more in line with Neil Gader and Matthew Clott.

One last point - I have yet to hear a system of any size/magnitude that cannot benefit from a properly integrated subwoofer. (That is assuming that the speaker actually reaches far down enough to meet a true sub.)

As always, ymmv
Funny how people read different things from the same text. I believe my Sabrina/subwoofer experience is the same as the reviewers', and also the same as yours.

The reviewers and I all say they are magnificent speakers overall, and all 3 of us note "limitation" and "slip from grasp" on the low end. This is no big deal for Diana Krall or Yo Yo Ma in an apartment building, but very important for Talking Heads in a house (especially if one were Burning Down The House, haha). The only difference I read is that their employment depends at least a bit on them being kind; my words are more blunt.

You go on to say that almost every floor stander benefits from a sub--I agree with this too. But of course, that leaves us agreeing that the SabrinaX "needs" a sub.

I do not mean my criticism of the bass to obscure my view that the Sabrinas are awesome speakers--they are!
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